Hepatitis Forums
Hepatitis C Main Forums => Hepatitis C Research News & Studies => Topic started by: Hep Editors on October 20, 2017, 10:08:06 am
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Merck has announced that it is discontinuing development of new hepatitis C virus (HCV) medications, opting to focus on its approved treatment, Zepatier (grazoprevir/elbasvir).
The company had been researching two different combination treatments. One combined the NS3/4A protease inhibitor grazoprevir, which is already approved as a component of Zepatier, with two experimental direct-acting antivirals, the NS5A inhibitor ruzasvir and the NS5B polymerase inhibitor uprifosbuvir. Another combination included only the two experimental medications.
For more...
https://www.hepmag.com/article/merck-drops-hepatitis-c-drug-development
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This is discouraging news for those unfortunate individuals who have resistant strains that have failed the current treatments. Most likely it is the diminishing returns from the numbers who could become their customers which has caused this decision to stop development of new drugs. One also has to wonder whether or not payments to the holders of the patent on how DAA's are delivered directly to an hepatocyte has something to do with them getting out of the field. And how much cash actually changes hands for the right to use this method patent to create each new DAA.
All in all it is a very mysterious arrangement the way fair use patents on so called "intellectual property" of medical technology works these days. At least the cost for creating products from the "intellectual property rights" around PCR RNA for HCV testing is finally starting to become a little more affordable for health care providers and HCV sufferers.